The After Party
by Giggles the Cat
Summary: Reluctantly, the skilled mechanic Nick Ramos finds himself in the magical land of Equestria after a night of regrets. Join him as he attempts to survive in a world far different than his own. With the help of his new friends, Nick will venture through goods times and bad times as he attempts to find his way back. Will he ever find his way back home, or will he find a new one?
1. Gotta Catch Them All

**I'm taking a break from my Dead Space fanfictions for now, due to the fact that I've been getting into the Dead Rising series more and more lately. I'll try to update my other stories, but I think I'm going to try this- something different. I got to say, personally, I never liked how old Isaac Clarke was, and to put someone of the age of forty-eight into a young and exciting world like Equestria seemed sort of odd to me; after all, it's not common you see twenty-one year-old adults converse with an elder without intent of self-profit. Despite that, I know that Isaac Clarke could fit in well with in the world of Equestria, but I always thought someone younger and less futuristic would help me aspire to write more often than my current snails pace. I've sent an email requesting for Nick Ramos to be added to the character list, so right now I'm just waiting until they either input his name into the data banks, or just ignore my request. In the mean time, if you have any request from me and any ideas what I could do to make this more enjoyable for you, I'm always opened to suggestions. Oddly enough, this is the only Dead Rising/MLP crossover fic that I'm aware of on this site. Thank you for reading this by the way, it gives me pleasure to offer reading material to the fanfiction community, despite me only having three stories with this one being included. Thank you! **

* * *

The rhythm of rain drops impacting against the roof tiles above echoed throughout the small darkened apartment- the melancholy beat of mother nature was the only outside noise that the lone mechanic could register as he slouched over the couch in anguish. The only light being in the living room was that of the operating television. Nick Ramos held the shot glass of lukewarm whiskey and pressed it against his lips as he quickly inhaled the it. He grimaced in disgust as the warm liquid traveled down his esophagus. '_One bottle down, one more to go._' He thought bitterly as he slammed down the shot glass harshly on top of the wooden coffee table in front of him. He reached past the recently empty bottle and in for the last full bottle of whiskey, but paused midway as he stared blankly at the glass bottle with remorse. After what seemed like an hour, Nick felt an overwhelming wave of pain wash over him as he began to feel the sensation of tears slowly streaming down his flustered cheeks. "Oh Annie…"

* * *

The morning seemed ripped for the mechanic's taking as his eyes began to flutter opened- the heavenly beams of the morning light broke through the blinds of the window above and onto the bed. Nick yawned quietly as he turned his head to face his girlfriend, but was met with an unexpected sight. Inside the small bedroom, Nick could see the some emptied drawers that seemed hastily taken of their contents, along with his Katey Ann Greene missing from his side. The morning magic was immediately replaced with a sense of panic and worry as he quickly pushed aside the red covers and rushed down the hallway in his red shirt and underwear as he called for his missing lover. He made his way past the various cardboard boxes that littered the floor and reached for his cell phone that sat idle on the coffee table, but froze at the sound of a door opening in the hallway. "Jesus, Nick! What is it?!"

The mechanic turned around and sighed with relief. "I thought something happened, you know, with the whole opened drawers and everything." The goth nodded sarcastically with a playful grin.

"Oh, I know what you mean! Me packing and everything for our new apartment while you slept in; don't worry, I totally understand, and probably our neighbors do now too." Nick cuffed his hand to his forehead and groaned.

"Ah shit, that's right, your dad's coming to help take this stuff over!" Nick embarrassingly recalled. "Oh, I'm sorry Annie, if I've woken up earlier-"

"Relax killer, I only sorted out our clothes and threw away some small stuff that we didn't need anymore." She winked slyly at the relieved mechanic. "Besides, I've saved the heavy lifting for you." Nick sighed playfully.

"Thanks, I'm looking forward to it." They both had a small chuckle before they went to pack with a kiss.

* * *

The packing was easy enough so far for Nick, considering how Annie told him to wait until Chuck came over to help him carry the heavy furniture into the rented truck. However, as Nick was finishing packing up his personal belongings, he couldn't help but feel a sicking feel arise from his stomach as he continued to look through his belongings. "Hey Annie!" He called out as he pulled out his drawer and sat it in his lap.

"What's up babe?!" She called out from within the living room.

"Did you go through my stuff by any chance?!" She placed the kitchen plates into a box before thinking.

"Yeah, I did!" Nick felt his muscles tense at her response.

"Did you throw anything away?!"

"No!"

"Oh thank God. For a moment-"

"I shredded some old pieces of paper with crappy drawings on them though!" Nick felt his heart drop as well as the drawer. The sound of the wooden drawer and its contents dropping to the ground caused Annie to sprint in. "Nick, what's wrong?!" When she entered the room, the sight of Nick staring blankly into the various trinkets spread across the white carpet greeted her. "Babe, is everything alright?" The blond grasped the mechanic's red shirt and shook him slightly. "Nick! Talk to m-"

"Why?" He muttered quietly as he continued to keep his focus on his items that ranged from tools, to pictures of Rhonda and him before the outbreak.

"Why what?"

"Why would you shred my vintage pokémon cards? I had them with me since I was still in the orphanage!"

"Oh shit, is that what they were? I thought those things were just coupons for some chicle, considering how they were in spanish." She chuckled in a joking matter, but fell short from the look of Nick's despair. "Look, I'm sorry, but they were taking up too much room! I mean, if they meant that so much to you, then why is this the first time I've heard of them?"

"Because it never fucking came up, okay?!" Nick snapped, but as soon as he realized what he just said, he felt a stinging sensation of regret soon after from the look of Annie's shock. "I didn't mean-"

"Really, are you going to getting pissed at me just because of some fucking kid's collection? Didn't you even grow up?" Annie spat out before turning to leave through the hallway with Nick soon chasing shortly after her.

"What the Hell is that suppose to mean?!"

"I'm sorry Nick, but I can't do this right now." She sighed. "I'll be back in the morning with my dad to help you take the stuff to the apartment; but for now, I think we need to distance ourselves before one of us says something we both regret." She quickly took her car keys from the kitchen counter and made her way to the front door, but not before turning around. "Hopefully, you'll grow up when we come back." With a slam of the door, Nick was alone in their messy apartment. Nick made his way toward the window and watched the blond goth as she drove into the streets with a blue car similar to that of the same one that she attempted to steal when they first met. While she drove out of his sight, he couldn't help but notice that the rays of sunshine were gone, and were replaced with incoming gray clouds above.

* * *

That brought to where Nick was now: drunk and staring without reason into a bottle of booze. "Oh Annieeee...w-why didn't ya jawst shhhhred m-my Rattatas instead? I had soooo m-many of thhhose daaaamned-ah things!" He swung his hand drunkenly to swipe the bottle off the table in frustration, but ended up stumbling forward and breaking the coffee table and spilling the whiskey onto the white carpets below. "Goddam-" Before Nick could finish his swear, he felt bile rise to his throat. In reaction, he flip over on top of his stomach and vomited all over his stitched Wrench O' Rama uniform and the carpet. He looked down in disgust. "Oh mannnn, Ah really wishhhhed-eeh Ah bawght more outfits than th-hhis p-piece ovah sh-" Unfortunately, he vomited yet again, and fell down in the bile pool that formed on the carpet. Most people, including Nick Ramos, would have called it a night and pass out and pray to God that they could come up with a good excuse in the morning before their girlfriend and her dad find them passed out in a pile of their own regret and coffee table pieces. However, just as Nick felt his eyes beginning to close in a peaceful and burning sensation, a ear-piercing song began to play from the television that prevented any rest for the wasted mechanic. "W-Whaaa thh-he Hell…" He muttered as he wiped of a combination of both saliva and bile from his mouth and chin.

"My Little Pony, My Little Pony, Ah Aah Aah Aaa!"

"W-w-whhhheeereee the Heeell is dah Goddamn reeemot-haaa?" Nick thought out loud in a slurred fashion as he began to search through the fragments of what was once his beloved coffee table.

"My Little Pony! I used to wonder what friendship could be!"

"D-did shhhhhee pack da' remoteee!?" Nick gasped as he attempted to get up in his drunken stupor, but immediately landed on his backside into the small pool of vomit. Not being one to give up usually, he began to crawl to the nearest box and pushed it down harshly as would a toddler would do.

"Until you shared all its magic with me!"

"Ah' bet shhhe shhhhredded dat shet too!" He slurred loudly as he fumbled through the now-broken pieces of kitchen ware.

"Big adventure!"

"Gawddemit!" In another act of frustration, Nick drunkenly through the empty box at the wall. However, when the empty cardboard box collided with the wall, it knocked down a picture frame of Annie and her parents from thirteen years ago. The sound of glass shattering almost awoken the mechanic from his current drunken state. Almost. "Oh no."

"Tons of fun!"

"Ohhhh pleeeeaaasse be okay!" He slurred through tears. He managed to tumble his way next to the fallen frame and held it in his right hand. "M-Maybe if Aye saa-ave the pi-itcher…" He trailed as he clumsily reached and yanked the photo out, only to result in it being shredded in multiple directions.

"A beautiful heart!"

"Mm-maybe I ca-an tell her t-that this issss...G-Gawd's way ahv j-justuice!"

"Faithful and strong!"

"Ohhhhh A'hm soooooooo screwwwweedddd!"

"Sharing kindness!"

"Gawddaumet…" Nick slumped over to his side to face the animated intro of the cartoon.

"It's an easy feat!"

"Shhhhawt awp!" The mechanic tossed the broken frame of the picture in a fit of both anger and sadness at the television, but forgot that the picture was still hanging halfway out of the broken glass. That, and he completely missed and instead the picture along with the wooden frame exploded in splinters and shreds of both glass and irreplaceable memories. Nick watched the entire scene in horror and fell on his back in despair. "Faaaaawwwwwkkkkk!"

"And magic makes it all complete, yeah my little pony!" Nick turned his attention once again to the television with flared nostrils. "Do You Know You're All My very Best…"

"Ah'm gonna keel ya wif mah bare fuckin' hands, ya son ovauh bitchhhh!" With suppressed strength and balance, Nick propped himself up and flipped over the couch to the side- leaving a clear path between him and the television screen. An almost clear path, at least.

"Friends!" Unfortunately, the mechanic had forgotten about the slippery pile of bile that guarded the electronic device similar to that of a moat and a castle. Nick ran toward the screen, but instead of crashing like his day had gone, he instead felt grass and mud collide against his rolling body.

* * *

A wave of exhaustion began to creep over his laying body as he attempted to lift himself from the slippery wet grass, but a horrid sight met his vision instead. He had no hands, but instead he had hooves. Though he was beginning to black out, he attempted to crawl his way down the grassy slope and onto the road. Eventually he made his way up the small grass covered bridge just above a flowing stream of water and across from a small cottage. The last thing he could mentally register before passing out on the peak of the bridge is how the night sky and rain that drenched his light-tan coat and black mane before succumbing to a drunken slumber.


	2. Hangovers and Splinters

**Hello! I know the whole idea of tradable cards being Nick's downfall seems pretty stupid, but it wasn't the reason why Annie left him to spend the rest of his drunken night alone, it was how something so small to Annie could piss Nick off so easily. Anyway, I'm glad to announce that I was able to get Nick R. added to the Dead Rising characters list as of 26 March, 2014. Without further adiue, I present you with this chapter, which in my opinion is so much better than the first chapter. **

* * *

The familiar assortment of the celestial beams shune warmly upon the awaking mechanic's face as his eyes begun to slowly flutter open. If it was any other day, Nick would have been more than happy to welcome being awoken in a warm room with heavenly sunlight, as would many people. However, the moment Nick shifted his head to get up, he felt an unbearable stinging sensation inside his head, forcing him to in shifting his whole body to the side to face away from the window's sunlight. "Goddamnit…" He groaned as he reached to clench his forehead in agony, but when he did, he looked up to see not a hand holding his forehead, but a hoof. Almost in an instant, memories came flooding in of the previous night. The fight with Annie, the lonesome drinking, the loss of childhood memories, the collateral damage, the bodily fluids, the rain, the grass, the bridge, the cottage. Everything. "Oh God!" In a panic, Nick threw himself off the green lounge-couch and tangled himself within a light blue blanket. After a few minutes of threshing within his cotton imprisonment, Nick finally managed to rip an opening from within and pushed himself through- destroying the blanket in the process. He grimaced as he felt a sickening turning sensation curdling inside his stomach, but was able to resist the urge of vomiting. He gritted his teeth as he looked down to observe his new equestrian body. Aside from his short black tail and slight-tannish coat, there was two things apart from him no longer having feet nor hands that really struck him. '_Where the hell are my clothes? And…Oh no..._' He gulped as his slowly looked down to his groin area to be met with a sight of truly inconceivable horror: nothing. He rolled his head back in despair as he let out a high-pitched whine.

"Hello? Is everything okay?" A petite voice called from upstairs. The mechanic's eyes lit up with rejoyce.

"Oh thank God! Yes, I _really_ need help right now! I'm freaking the fu-" The sight of the yellow pegasus flying down the stairs with pink hair and blue eyes caused the mechanic to refrain from continuing to speak further.

"Oh I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you!" She apologized as she landed on the green-wooden floor with ease, then proceeded to trot over to the confused mechanic. The mare stopped in place shortly as she realized that the further she came closer, the further her guest would attempted to back up. "Poor thing, you must be confused!" She cooed before giggling quietly to herself. "Where are my manners? My name is Fluttershy, and you must be Nick." The mechanic could feel his pupils dilate as he heard the figure speak out his name.

"How...How do you know my name?" He asked meekly, to which Fluttershy responded with a shrug.

"I didn't, it was a guess." She chuckled softly. "The name was all over your clothes when I went to go wash them, so I just put two and two together and thought, 'it's probably Nick'." She turned her attention back to her guest, only to see him clenching his head in pain. "Oh my goodness, what's the matter?!" Fluttershy quickly galloped next to Nick and sat down next to him.

"Why am I here?" He choked out before returning to his previous state of veisalgia.

"Well, my bunny woke me up last night and insisted me on looking outside; so, I did, and saw you laying belly down. You weren't responding to my attempts of waking you up, so I dragged you inside and cleaned you up before setting you on the couch." She explained. "I'm sorry, but I couldn't leave a pony outside to catch sickness."

"That's not what I meant."

"Oh, then what are you wanting to know exactly?" Asked Fluttershy.

"I want to know how I ended up outside in the first fucking place!" He threw his hooves up in exaggeration, "I mean, one moment I was trying to shut off some fucking kid's show, and the next I knew, I was tumbling my ass down into some fucking grass and mud." He turned to see the yellow mare looking as confused as she was appalled. He sighed. "I don't...I'm not suppose to be here. You know what, this probably is just a shitty dream; Hell, I'm probably still laying down in my own vomit..." He whispered as he attempted to lift himself up on all fours, but quickly lost balance as soon as he put on hoof out. "Fuck! It's not!" Fluttershy quickly got up to assist Nick up- the pounding of his headache seemed to worsen as she did so. "Goddamnit...Definitely not a dream." He muttered.

"You shouldn't swear." Fluttershy advised as she propped her body against Nick's. "Also, you shouldn't drink, my friend told me that it makes you do things that you wouldn't normally do…" She paused. "Regrettable things, even." Nick chuckled and nodded sorrowfully.

"Yeah...it does." Fluttershy frowned.

"Well, nothing can changed what you did in the past, you know." Nick turned his head to see her staring out through the window near the window as they slowly made their way to the kitchen.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Fluttershy sighed in frustration quickly before regaining her polite posture.

"My point is that you shouldn't dwell too much on your mistakes, Nick, you can always change things for the better." She shrugged. "Come on, let's get something in you to help you with your hangover." Nick said nothing, but instead motioned her to step aside before putting his right hoof down as well as his left hind-hoof. He stumbled slightly, but persisted for the yellow mare not to help. After a few seconds, Nick extended his left fore-hoof and right hind-hoof forward in a somewhat fluent matter. What seemed like such a trivial activity to Fluttershy was a great achievement to Nick as he fluently made his way to the kitchen- following the yellow pegasus as he did so.

* * *

"So Nick," said Fluttershy as she opened her pantry door open, "what do you usually eat for breakfast?" The mechanic sat on his haunches as he rested his fore-hooves on the dining table. The pegasus turned around to see the mechanic practicing on manipulating objects with his new appendages. She explained quickly that all he had to do was focus on holding any object, in this case a fork, with his hoof; so long as it was in contact with his hoof, of course. "Nick?"

"Anything's fine." He flatly responded; however, Fluttershy insisted on with a smile.

"Now, now, there's surely something you usually eat for breakfast."

"I'm alright, really." The yellow mare smiled.

"I'll tell you what, I'll make us some salad. If you don't want it, then I'll just give it to Angel Bunny." Nick shrugged. Ignoring his shrug, she pulled out of the pantry a bottle of salad dressing along side with some croutons before setting them in the center of the dining table. As she made her way to her refrigerator to get lettuce and tomatoes, she heard Nick mumble something under his breath. She paused and turned her head once more to see the mechanic staring directly at her. "Did you say something?"

"I did," he answered, "I just wanted to let you know that...Well, that I'm grateful for your hospitality; really, I am." He looked away from the generous smile plastered on the mare's face and sighed. "But I can't stay here, I need to get back to my girlfriend." With that said, Nick got up slowly before trotting outside. The bright sunlight caused him to flinch long enough for Fluttershy to realize what he meant.

"Won't you stay before you go home? I'd really love to introduce you to my friend; it won't be long, you'll like her." He paused in the doorframe and shook his head.

"I'm sorry, I can't." Fluttershy looked down in disappointment as she frowned.

"I understand." She sighed before putting on a small smile, "But you're welcomed to come back to visit if you want, Nick."

"Thank you, Fluttershy, for everything."

"You're welcome, but, mind staying there while I go get your belongings?" Nick softly smiled and nodded. "I won't be gone long!" With that said, the yellow pegasus flew upstairs quickly- leaving the mechanic to himself. Shortly after adjusting to the bright daylight, Nick could see the beauty of what mature nature had provided. The flowing grass outside swayed rhythmically with the breeze outside caressing the blades softly. Along with the floral life, the mechanic could see many small creatures scurrying around the large tree that sat dormant across from the cottage just near the beautiful flowing stream just downhill- a magnificent sight that the mechanic was unfamiliar with. When he caught sight of the curved bridge however, he frowned. He had no idea how to exactly to get back home, just fields of grass and a polished path that lead out of sight from what the eye could see.

'_I could always try to see what's down the yellow brick road_.' He mused, however, the sounds of wing flaps broke him from his thoughts and brought him back to what he could tell was his temporary reality.

"Here are you are!" Fluttershy offered as she held out his folded Wrench-O'-Rama uniform. Oddly enough for Nick though, he had apparently brought his blowtorch along with a roll of black duct tape with him in his drunken stupor. When the mechanic unfolded his uniform however, he was surprised to see that his beloved uniform was reduced to fit only his upper torso, but put it on regardlessly. He turned his head toward the obvlious mare as he attempted to made a makeshift holster for his blowtorch to fit in. "Is something wrong? That's how I found everything." Nick gaved his gracious host the benefit with of the doubt as he shook his head.

"No, everything's fine, but thanks...Actually, there is something I would like to know before I go." Fluttershy nodded.

"Of course, what ever would you like to know?" Her innocent face and adorable looks brought even less pleasure to Nick as he bit down his lip in embarrassment.

"Listen, you're going to have to believe me when I say that I'm _NOT_ from here, okay? Like, as of yesterday, I think, that was my first time being...well, a pony." Fluttershy quirked an eyebrow in confusion.

"What?" She plainly asked in bewilderment.

"I know it sounds strange, but imagine how this feels for me!" He sighed. "What I'm trying to get at is...well…" He stared down to prevent looking the mare in the eyes.

"What is it, Nick?"

"Well...where's my...erm...penis." She brought her head back in surprise. The mare could feel her cheeks burn red as she attempted to think of an appropriate answer. "I'm not trying to come on to you or anything, I'm being extremely serious right now. I _REALLY _need to know where it is."

"It's...It's between your thighs…You just need to think about it like the same way you pick up things...sorta." She coughed. "You know...I-I could get some books from my friend that could show y-" She was interrupted by a howl in the distance followed by several more shortly. Her eyes widened in fear, and before the mechanic could speak, she quickly galloped past Nick and out the door.

"Fluttershy?!"

* * *

When Nick finally caught up with the pegasus, he could see her fiddling with a lock attached to a wooden chicken coop. "Fluttershy, what's wrong?" Nick asked. She was too focused on the lock to answer the mechanic, which gave Nick enough time to come up with a joke. "I know I can't find my cock, but I don't think it'll be in there." He chuckled lightly at his own stupid joke before shaking his head. "Seriously though, what's wrong?" She quickly turned her head in a panic.

"Nick, you have to get ins-" The low sound of growls close behind froze the mare in place. The mechanic shifted his head to see past her shoulder, and watched as a small pack of what appeared to be wolves made up entirely of sticks and twigs stare directly at him in unison hungerly.

"What the hell…"

"RUN!" Without a second thought, the pegasus pushed the hispanic pony toward the nearest direction of safety: her shed. She flew into the air and onto the roof of the once she made sure that her guest was safe for the time being inside the wooden outdoor fortress. "Oh, this isn't good!" She shouted over the loud growling and feral barking as more and more wolves began to swarm the shed from the nearby forest. "Nick, stay there! Try to keep them out, I'll get help!" The mechanic looked around the interior of the cabin frantically to look for something to block the door, until he noticed that the shed itself had two glass windows parral from each other on both sides of the door.

"Are you sure it's-" The loud noise of wing flaps drowned out his voice, and by the time the sound was gone, Nick knew it was too late to ask any further questions regarding his own safety. "Safe…" He muttered as he slouched against a large white cloth that draped over the wall across from the entrance. "Alright, just have to get creative…like always..." He whispered to himself. '_Okay, what to use, what to use..._' He turned his head from side to side as he attempted to drown out the shaking of the shed's walls and blood-thirty growls outside. Sticking out from underneath the white drape, Nick managed to catch a glimpse of his reflection in what looked like a jar filled with a transparent yellow liquid. He quickly scooted over to it and pulled down the drape with one hoof and set the jar between his thighs. He bit the cork off as he took a whiff of the liquid inside. A smile found its way onto his face as soon as he recognized the smell. '_Kerosene_, _but I'm going to need a little something more than just a jar of this shit._' The sound of a glass shattering broke him from thought as he quickly turned his head over his shoulder to see one window already destroyed. '_And fast._' But much to Nick's fortune, he'd noticed that the white drape was actually covering a mounted wood axe that brought an even bigger smile to the mechanic's face. '_That'll do it._'

However, a small impact against the back of his head immediately wiped any remaining happiness from Nick as he looked down to see what had hit him. It had been what remained of a hinge. Quickly, Nick wrapped the white drape around his right fore-hoof as he made his way to the left broken-window, where he proceeded to push out any sharp piece of remaining glass. However, before Nick could react, one timberwolf managed to claw itself up the up the wall and powerfully bit down harshly onto Nick's draped-covered hoof. "Shit!" He shouted painfully as attempted to yank away his arm from the jowls of the beast, but was only received even deeper lacerations. Thinking quickly, Nick pulled his attacker's head fully inside, then quickly wrapped his other arm around the timberwolf's neck and began to squeeze as hard as he could, causing the creature to cough violently- giving the mechanic enough time to pull out his bleeding hoof. Without hesitation, Nick swiftly wrapped his good arm under the timberwolf's neck once more as he began to push down his blood-covered draped hoof between the eyes of the beast. The beast howled in pain before the twigs that made up its neck splintered and cracked in unison with its forehead. The wooden creature's body gave one last spasm before it fell back outside as its ravaged head fell harshly to the floor with a dry crack. Nick held his damaged hoof painfully before trotting over to the wood axe and kerosene. Using his right hoof, Nick held on to the axe and begun to chop the fallen timberwolf's decapitated head. He then proceeded to pile the chopped wood into a pile. Painfully, he removed the blood-soaked drap from his hoof and placed as many shreds of wood as he could manage into the drape before wrapping the it tightly around what was once the head of his attacker. Before heading out through the window with his tools held tightly under his arm, and on to the roof of his temporary fortress, he coated the floor lightly with kerosene.

Once outside, Nick could see how quickly the pack of wolves grew since being left in the shed alone. Taking in a deep breath, he hastily made his own homemade skylight into the roof with the axe. On the final chop however, the head of the axe flew off the splintered handle. "I needed that!" He yelped. Instead of feeling a sense of relief as he watched the door fall off the hinges, then followed by a swarm of timberwolves flooding inside the shed- all glaring at the mechanic with looks of soulless hunger- Nick felt nothing but hatred against the bloodthirsty beasts. "You want to mess with me, huh?! Well, todos ustedes vienen conseguir un poco, motherfuckers!" In one motion, Nick used his blowtorch to set drape on fire, then commenced in pulling down the burning cloth with the sticks down the direction of the hole- setting the floor along with beast to a blaze. The howls of pain and cries of death was a short lived victory for the mechanic as the shaking of the burning shed made him realize his fatal mistake. '_...Probably should have just ...scared them away with the blowtorch...huh..._' Not having enough time to jump off, Nick grunted in pain as the roof collapsed; luckily however, one collapsing plank managed propel him harshly onto ground.

Nick held his side as he gasped for breath, but was interrupted as a remaining timberwolf suddenly pinned itself down on top of him, and began to snap at the mechanic's neck. Barely having enough time to react, Nick was only able to hold the beast back by its wooden ears as the beast began to claw at his arms in protest. Realizing that he wouldn't be able to win from being on the bottom, the mechanic shifted both his back legs underneath his attacker. In a desperate act, Nick managed to launch the beast off. Before the timberwolf could get back up, the mechanic painfully galloped over to where it landed, and pulled tightly on its wooden tail as he stomped on its head. With the sound of a crack and dying whine, Nick tossed the corpse roughly onto the ground. Nick stared at the burning carnage as a sigh of relief escaped between his lips. He chuckled nervously as he plopped down softly on the grass with an exhausted grin as he stared into the skies. Just after a few seconds of closing his eyes, sounds of burnt woods shifting along with the smell of ashes interrupted the pony's moment of serenity. "What now?" He groaned in annoyance. Nick propped himself up on his haunches and felt a cold shiver explode throughout his body from the sight beheld in front of him. From the smoking ruins of the shed stood a large timberwolf grotuestly crafted out of scorched wood from what was once the piles of its deceased brother. "Holy shit…" As it opened its mouth to growl, Nick could see the glowing embers fall out of its mouth as if it were drooling. The creature squatted in a pouncing position as Nick sat frozen in shock. However, before the monstrous beast could have the chance to attack the mechanic, a loud noise shook the ground slowly at first, but then grew more ferocious shortly after. Thinking it was a crashing jet, Nick covered his head with both arms as he braced himself. All the beast had time to see was a large colorful stream of vapor lead by a cyan blur.

* * *

The burning timberwolf exploded into a cloud of ash as Nick's unknown savior came crashing down- the force being so great that the mechanic could feel his body being pushed down hill near the stream. The earth pony coughed violently as he weakly got up to investigate the act of the mysterious miracle. He looked over to where the monster once stood tall, and as the ashes began to settle, he could make out the silhouette of a pegasus with its wings extended. "F-Fluttershy?" He called out in an unsure manner. The figure laughed in a different tone to that of the yellow mare's own, but still belonging to that of a female.

"As if!" She shouted in a cocky attitude. The silhouette of the mare swayed her hips as she trotted toward the mechanic. When she came to full view, Nick's first thought was how colorful her hair was. Her dusty-rose eyes came to view with his as she smirked. "The name's Rainbow Dash, I'm kinda the badass around here, Nick!" The cyan mare stuck her hoof out, to which Nick gratefully took with his non-injured hoof.

"Well, thank you for coming Rainbow Dash...So, I'm guessing that-"

"Nick! Rainbow Dash!" Both ponies turned their head in the direction of the bridge where Fluttershy came into view.

"-she got you to help me." Rainbow Dash nodded as her over-confident smirk died down to a soft smile.

"Yep, screamed from the top of her small lungs to stop what I was doing and go to her house immediately." She chuckled softly. "You know, usually when somepony tells you something like that, you looked at them in a funny way and ask them to repeat what they just said, but not with Fluttershy." She chuckled. "She told me that there was somepony named Nick in trouble outside her house. That was all I needed to hear before I made it my goal to come over to save somepony who looked like he or she needed help." Nick quirked an eyebrow, but was met with a shrug from Rainbow Dash. "Let's be honest, your name's pretty weird, so at the time I couldn't tell whether or not you were either a mare or a stallion." Before Nick could respond, he felt his left arm being tugged and held gently by Fluttershy as she looked in horror at his bleeding hoof.

"Oh my goodness! Nick, we have to get you to the hospital!" The mechanic shrugged.

"Actually, I think I got this one." Without waiting for a response, Nick began to limp inside Fluttershy's kitchen with both mares following closely behind.

"Nick, now's the time for snacks." Rainbow Dash scolded, but to no avail in convincing the earth pony.

"Just watch," He muttered before turning to face the concerned looking yellow pegasus. "Mind if I have something to eat?" Fluttershy sighed.

"Help yourself, but I really think we should get you to a doctor before that get's infected." He smiled.

"Thank you." With that being said, he quickly opened the pantry door and quickly began to chow down on whatever he could get his hooves on. As he began to eat more and more, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy both watched in awe as Nick's wounds began to heal right before their eyes. After finishing a cupcake, he exhaled happily as he looked down approvingly at his healed arm. He turned around to see the bewildered mares staring in disbelief. "Don't ask me how it works, because I don't remember what Isabella said." He frowned. "Something about enzymes or some sh-stuff like that…"

* * *

After cleaning up, the three ponies came inside for dinner and talked about their different cultures over some plates of salad. Rainbow Dash explained how the weather in Equestria was manipulated by the pegasi to bring rainclouds where it was needed the most, and how some places like Cloudsdale were above in the sky. Fluttershy was more than happy to discuss about her other best friends and even told the hispanic pony a few of her adventures with the other mares. From what Nick could tell, Twilight Sparkle had the perfect little girl's dream life, while Rarity seemed to be very generous- despite Rainbow Dash's comments of how high maintenance the unicorn could be. Applejack reminded him of Rhonda, which only made the mechanic want to return even more. Pinkie Pie sounded like the type of pony that Nick would find cute and fun for the first five minutes, but probably annoying soon after. Rainbow Dash then began explaining Equestria's politics, and how the government was ran by a democratic monarchy between two sisters: Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, and recently Princess Twilight Sparkle. The rainbow mare was then quick in expressing her poorly backed-up opinions on the current state of the government. Seeing how Nick was beginning to feel uncomfortable from Rainbow Dash's poor political opinions, Fluttershy managed to silently seize the cyan pegasus with a cold stare. When they asked about Nick's origins however, he was reluctant to explain, but with constant preistance, Rainbow Dash managed to convince him to do so otherwise.

Fearing to might have ruined the night with stories of zombie outbreaks, the plentiful psychotic people he had to kill, and the fact that he had to see many innocent people die, Nick merely told the two mares of how he grew up in an orphanage and moved to another country as when he was eighteen. Nick told the mares about how he was in relationship with a woman named Katey Ann Greene, and how he was suppose to help her and her dad, Chuck Greene, move his and her things into their new apartment that night. Upon saying that, the mechanic began to become heartbroken once more as he just sat there- staring ahead blankly.

"She's probably scared for me right now." He muttered, "With the whole mess I left behind...I…" He trailed off as he felt tears beginning to form in his eyes. "I shouldn't have yelled at her...I should have called her instead of getting drunk...I should have-"

"Shoulda-woulda-coulda." Rainbow Dash interrupted as she flew out of her chair and hovered over toward Nick. "Listen, you can't blame for yourself for doing dumb things; trust me, I've tried, and it doesn't make you feel any better." Nick broke out of his trance and lifted his head to meet eye contact with Rainbow Dash. "If you want to take my advice, which you should, then listen to me Nick: So long as there's shadows, there's light." She smirked. "I read that from a book." Nick quirked an eyebrow in confusion before Fluttershy coughed- interrupting the proud cyan mare's moment.

"I think what she's trying to say is that even if you don't find your way back Nick, you could always make this your new home." She smiled as she reached over and placed her hooves over his. "Who knows? You might like this place a lot better!" Nick furrowed his eyebrows are he looked away from the friendly face of the pegasus.

"But I have to-"

"Nick, think about it: How exactly are you going to go back home?" Rainbow Dash blurted. Nick glared at the floating cyan pegasus with anger.

"The same way I got here." He bitterly responded, to which the weather mare shook her head.

"If it was that easy, then I think you would have already spotted the way back...figuring that you're telling the truth, that is." Before Nick could retaliate, Fluttershy held his hooves tighter. The mechanic turned his head to the smiling yellow pegasus with a look of shame.

"Nick, I think you're a good pony, and so does Rainbow Dash. It's just…" She paused before taking in a breath, "It's just that you have to be realistic. Nick, you were ready to just wander off into Celestia-knows where, without any sense of direction. You can't rely on yourself to do everything, there's nothing wrong with asking for help."

"I don't need help." He spat out, to which Fluttershy cringed at emotionally.

"Nick...don't forgot how your anger got you in this mess." Fluttershy retorted softly, to which the mechanic opened his mouth to say something, but found himself at a loss of words. "Whether or not you like it, you're stuck here Nick, and that's the cold and harsh fact you're going to have to come to terms with soon."

"I...I know there's a way out...there has to be…" Fluttershy gently patted his hooves as she sighed.

"Nick, you don't have to suffer alone, you have friends right here...isn't that right? Rainbow Dash?" The rainbow maned pegasus stucked her hoof out in front of the mechanic with a smirk.

"That's right, Nick, you have Equestria's most badass, sexieist, and awesomest pegasus on your buddy list...despite you being crazy and all." She snickered before flying back to her seat. Nick smiled.

"I suppose I could make life here bearable," he chuckled before turning serious, "but mark my words: I will find my home." Fluttershy giggled and smiled as she brought her hooves back to her side.

"I know Nick, I know you will."


	3. Bittersweet

**I've been busy lately, and haven't had time to work on chapter four, until now. I went back and reread chapter three, and decided to change the way the story was going slightly. Thank you for reading this, and I'll have chapter four done very soon!**

* * *

"Hey, Nick, it's getting kinda late." The mechanic groaned as he turned his body away from the nagging voice. "Come on, babe, dad's here." Nick kept his eyes shut as he bent the pillow over his head in a playful manner.

"Five more minutes…" He muttered under from the cottony goodness. Annie smirked before climbing onto the bed next to her boyfriend. With the sudden shift in weight, Nick lifted his pillow away from his head and squinted his eyes slowly open to see the blond goth standing tall above him. "Why are you standing on the bed?" He asked cautiously, to which she just smiled maliciously.

"Oh nothing, just _THIS_!" She then began to hop up and down on the bed, causing the awaking mechanic to roll back and forth between his side of the mattress and where the goth was jumping. Nick tossed the pillow onto the ground before propping his back up.

"Two can play at this game!" Annie quirked a playful brow up.

"Please Nick, not even you're a match against m-_HEY_!" Caught off guard by her boyfriend's sudden jumping, she fell down on to the red covers of the bed, but not before taking the mechanic down with her. "Like I said Nick, you're no match against me." The mechanic chuckled.

"What ever, I so won that!" Annie giggled softly before putting on a sly smirk.

"Well then, allow me to give the victor his spoils." She then climbed onto to Nick and pressed her chest against his- grinning as she watched his eyes struggle between keeping eye contact with her and down her striped shirt. "Like what you see?"

"I always do." She snickered as she leaned in to press her lips against the mechanic's own.

"Mind doing that when...you know, I'm not here, Katey?" The two lovers looked over to the open wooden door across from the bed to see Chuck Greene standing in the doorway- covering his eyes with one hand. Both youngsters blushed in unison before Annie quickly rolled off of Nick in one quick motion and onto her feet.

"Sorry dad!" She apologized. The ex-motocross star shrugged.

"All I'm asking is that you two save that for when I'm not around. Got that, Nick?" He quickly nodded. "Good, now come on, let's get started on the living room." Before Nick could reach the open door, Annie playfully closed the door just as he was near the door frame.

"Don't keep me waiting." She giggled behind the closed door. Nick shook his head as he reached for the door, but froze in horror as looked down where his hand used to be- the memories came flooding back as he lifted his hoof to his face.

"Oh no…" He whispered to himself. "It's okay, it's okay...just reach for the door knob and I'll be fine." He motivated himself before shortly reaching for the knob, but only to be met without one to reach for. "What the Hell?!" Before he could do anything, he heard the front door open, followed by footsteps.

"Oh my God...NICK?!" Screamed Annie. Nick began to panic once more as he desperately looked for a way to either push or pull on the door, but without any luck. He pressed his pony ear against the wooden door to listen in further. "DAD!"

"Katey?! What's wrong?!" Chuck asked concernedly as he stomped inside. Not being able to see what was happening, Nick desperately began to tackle against the door, but to no avail.

"Guys, I'm in here!" He shouted, but was met with no response. "Guys?! Annie?! Chuck?!" He could feel his chest rise in and out quickly as he pounded furiously against the door with his hooves.

"Oh my God, dad, he's...he's not waking up!"

"Shit! Nick, get up! Nick! NICK!"

"He's not breathing! He's not fucking breathing!" Nick could then hear her voice beginning to crack up as she began to sob violently.

"Goddamnit..." Chuck whispered in a dread tone. "Sweetheart... I'm... I'm sorry..." The ex-motocross star appologized as he then began to comfort his daughter in hushes. "You should go outside, I'll call 911." With a sound of footsteps leaving out of his earshot, Nick began to really lose his cool.

"Annie?! ANNIE!" On his last hit, Nick tripped over and fell to the ground with his back against the door. He clenched his eyelids shut on impact. When he opened his eyes, however, he noticed that the wall parallel from where he sat was gone, and in its place was an opening to a grassy hill with a comforting cottage on top. He watched in horror as the structure of the bedroom faded away as the new world began to swallow up his own little world. "ANNIE!" He yelled before attempting to tackle open the door once more. "Babe, I'm coming!" He shouted as he continued to relentless tackle the impassable door. Even with the wall that the door was apart of beginning to fade, Nick pressed on. "Fucking open already!" He grunted- the sound of the goth's crying was mere fuel for the mechanic as he continued to ram against the door.

"Get in the car, Katey..." A distant voice whispered as the last sounds of the human world were gone from Nick.

"NO!" Nick watched in horror as the door began to fade away from existence. "Don't go! Annie! ANNIE!" He threw himself against the transparent door, but only to go right through. He rolled himself onto his back and watched the door as it faded from existence. "Annie…" He whispered as the door completely vanished. "I'm...I'm sorry…"

* * *

"Sorry? What ever for?"

"Nick, what do you mean by sorry?" Fluttershy asked as she continued to tap her hoof softly against his curled up back. The mechanic's eyelids shot open as he quickly turned his body to face the yellow pegasus's concerned face. "Are you okay, Nick?" He propped himself up on his haunches as he sat on the couch.

"I've…been better." He admitted.

"Excuse me for asking, but did you have a bad dream?" Fluttershy asked meekly. He nodded in response. "I'm sorry to hear that." Nick sighed.

"I'm fine, but thanks for your concern."

"Good to hear, and you're welcome." She grinned, "I'm going to the market center to pick up some stuff, and I thought it would be a great idea for you to meet with some of the townspony and look around. I'm sure the ponies around town would love to meet you!" Nick planned on going to town later anyway, so he agreed with a nod. "Great, we'll get something to eat while we're in town! If you need to, you could bathe in my tub and brush up, I left an extra toothbrush on the counter for you to use; after all, you can't go around town with ash and dried blood in your coat." Nick chuckled sheepishly.

"Yeah, probably wouldn't look good for the both of us." Fluttershy giggled quietly to herself and nodded.

"Probably wouldn't."

After Nick was done taking a bath inside the wooden tub filled with soapy water and his filth, he stepped out on to the cold green tiled floor of the bathroom. He then stuck his hoof inside the tub to drain the used water, and proceeded to wash off using the sink. He began to towel dry himself as he stood in front of the mirror. As he brought down the towel from his face, he stared at his reflection in solence. Since he arrived in Equestria, he never really observed himself in a mirror as he used to do when he was back in his own world. "Not too bad Nick, even for a pony." He ran one hoof through his thick black hair, then rubbed his light five o'clock shadow- each hair feeling slightly rough compared to his own soft coat. Once he removed his hoof from his face, he caught a glimpse of the '12' mark on his neck. He turned his neck to feel the number, and to his surprise, it wasn't skin he felt. Instead of being scarred tissue, the marking from Carlito was now embedded into his coat rather than his skin. After checking himself out, he raised the red toothbrush that was left for him over the sink and soaked it before squeezing the paste onto the bristles of the brush. As he stuck the brush into the mouth, he cringed slightly as began to brush against his new equestrian teeth. '_Talk about looking a gift pony in the mouth._' He mentally complained as he leaned over the sink to rinse out his mouth.

* * *

Soon after both had gotten ready, they made made their way into town. The houses were all identical from what Nick could tell, aside from several business establishments and the town's library. When they reached the market grounds, Nick took notice on how each vendor was in a booth. "Here, go and buy yourself something nice." Fluttershy ordered as she pulled a medium-sized brown coin purse from her saddlebags and held it in front of the mechanic.

"I can't take your money, Fluttershy." Nick protested kindly, but the shy mare just shook her head.

"No, no, I insist."

"But-"

"Take it." Her stare was convincing enough for Nick to quickly accept the gift.

"T-Thanks." She smiled.

"Of course! Wow go on and mingle, I'll be home before sundown."

"Alright, see you soon." With that said, they went their separate ways around town.

* * *

Eventually after trotting through the various shops, Nick found himself being attracted by the aroma of sweet baking. "Dear God, that smells amazing." He muttered to himself as he followed the scent to its source. When he reached to origin of the scent, he found himself to be in front of a large building with frosting rained down on its roof- which looked like gingerbread already. '_Sugarcube Corner, eh? Smells like diabetes._" He pushed open the door and was overpowered by the scent of fresh baked goods and overcompensating levels of sugar. "Hello?" The mechanic called out as he progressed his way over to the counter with the cash register. "Anyb-pony her-"

"Hello!" A pink mare greeted as she popped up from behind the counter. Nick's heart skipped a beat as he fell down to the ground in shock.

"Jesus, you scared me!" The pink earth pony giggled loudly with a snort.

"My name's not Jesus, silly!" She hopped over the counter and stood next to the grounded mechanic. "I'm Pinkie Pie, and I would have thrown a party for you, if not for today being so gosh-darn busy!" Nick stared awkwardly at Pinkie Pie's off putting smile before pushing himself up on all fours.

"Not to sound rude or anything, but there's nopony else here beside you and I." She raised her eyebrows and looked around to vacant bakery.

"Well in that case, I'm working right now, so how about I show you the kitchen?" Nick squinted his eyes suspiciously before backing away.

"That's alright, I'm not really one for parties anyway. Besides, I should get back to my friend." Pinkie Pie's smiled widened even more as the mention of friends came up.

"Ooooo! Who's your friend?" Something about the mare felt wrong to the mechanic as he continued to leave. "Let me guess! It's Fluttershy!" Nick stopped dead in his tracks and turned his head slowly toward Pinkie Pie.

"How did you know?" Pinkie Pie looked questioningly at Nick before bursting into a fit of laughter.

"Because, Rainbow Dash told me all about you, Nick! Duurrrr!" She stuck her tongue out as she made a funny face before returning to her fit of hysterical laughter. Nick swallowed back nervously.

"Look, what do you want?" She pointed to the kitchen, much to the Nick's displeasure. "Why, exactly?"

"Because the first cupcakes are on the house!" Before Nick could protest, the friendly pink mare pulled him by his arm and made her way to the kitchen.

"So Nick, do you know how to make cupcakes?" She asked as she began to sway slightly from left to right. Nick could have sworn that there was corny music playing from somewhere in the kitchen the minute she asked him the question. He shrugged.

"No, not really." Pinkie Pie leaned in closer to the mechanic with her same unfading smile plastered to her face- much to his discomfort.

"All you have to do is take a cup of flour!" In a blink of an eye, she quickly shoved a bag of white powdery goodness into the stallion's chest. Nick held the bag as she placed a bowl of cupcake mix in front of him on the kitchen counter. "Add it to the mix!" Nick shrugged before pouring the flour into the mix.

"Whatever you say."

"Now just take a little something sweet, not sour!" The mechanic watched in confusion as she began to throw various candies and other wrapped sweets into the the bowl's contents. "A bit of salt, just a pinch! Baking these treats is such a cinch! Add a teaspoon of vanilla! Add a little more, and you count to four, And you never get your fill of-"

"You're not making them right." Nick interrupted as he stared into the bowl of unhealthiness. "I may have never baked before, but I'm pretty sure that's not going to taste very well." Pinkie Pie's smile then faded as her hair deflated at his criticism. He stood sturdy with his belief though.

"But...it's not even finished yet." She quietly explained- the music Nick thought he heard was officially gone. She regained her smile and attempted a half hearted laugh. "Come on Nick, the first batch is on the house!" Nick peered over the bowl and grimaced.

"I'm not eating that." The pink pony cringed.

"Come on, Nick, you're kind of bumming me out right now." Nick shook his head.

"I told you, I'm not eating _that_." There was then an awkward silence between the two as Pinkie looked at the Nick in a mixture of confusion and annoyance.

"Nick, let's make this batch and eat them together." She gritted through her teeth, but to no avail.

"I said no." She lifted her hooves up and chuckled.

"You know what? You seem like you're pretty confident in your baking skills, I mean, what do I know? After all, I've only been baking for a living for about four years now, so who the Hell am I to question you?!" She quickly pushed aside the previous bowl and quickly pulled out a new pink bowl and slammed it on the counter. "Here, enlighten me on how I should my job!" Nick glare silently at the hyperventilating mare. "Oh, my bad! Here, I'll give you some butter with that!" She pushed past the mechanic and quickly slammed open the fridge to pull out a stick of butter. Before closing the refrigerator door, she hastily pulled out a large knife from the drawer and trot over to Nick. "Here, cut some up!" She pushed the knife closer to the stallion, to which he back up slowly.

"How about you drop the knife before I make you?" The pink mare stood dumbfounded before giggling slowly.

"Are you scared?" She asked as she began to swing the knife mockingly toward Nick. "Just laugh! That's what they told me to do! Laugh! LAUGH!" Without hesitation, Nick pushed the arm that held the knife back along with the pink mare to the ground. Pinkie Pie shifted her body to get up, but felt an aching pain in her left upper arm. She dropped the bloodied knife and shakingly brought her right hoof over to the large laceration on her left arm. She stared at the mechanic in fear as she began to crawl away in terror. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" She cried as she attempted to get back up on all fours, but fell to the floor with a cry of pain. Feeling pity for the terrified mare, Nick reluctantly crouched down to meet the mare to her eye level. Not letting his guard down, he offer his hoof to the frightened party pony- to which she just stared at. Before she had the chance to accepted his help, the sounds of two ponies coming down from upstairs came galloping down.

"Pinkie Pie!" A blue earth pony screamed in horror as she along with, what Nick presumed to be, her sharped jaw husband as they both came to her side. The blue mare turned to the mechanic with a look of horror. "What happened?!"

"She invited me to the kitchen, then she wanted to bake cupcakes. I told her that the cupcakes didn't look right, so she started to flip out and she pulled a knife out of the drawers! She got too close while she was swinging, so I pushed her down; but, I didn't mean for the knife the cut her!" The anger disappeared from Mrs. Cake's face as she faced her husband with a look of worry. Nick gulped. "I swear, I didn't mean to hurt her!" The blue mare nodded softly before motioning for her husband to wrap the pink mare's wound. She lead the mechanic outside the kitchen before sighing.

"It's not your fault, sweety." She explained comfortingly, "Pinkie Pie's...been going through some things lately." She exhaled slowly. "I'm sorry if she scared you, she just needs the help and support of her friends and family right now." Nick looked to the ground in shame as the realization that he had just caused harmed to a pony battling with personal demons.

"I'm sorry to hear that." Nick apologized, to which Mrs. Cake just shrugged.

"Things just got out of hoof today, so how about you come back later? I think my husband and I should close early for today anyway." Nick nodded as he left through the exit.

* * *

As Mr. Cake left to go get sterile bandages, Pinkie Pie stared at the kitchen knife as it laid idle in a small pool of her own blood. As if she was in a trance, she found herself standing up on three legs and limping towards the knife. She reached down and lifted the blade- staring at her own reflection through the blood-soaked steel. The disturbed party pony's attention then turned to empty pink bowl that sat hauntingly on the counter. Quickly, she tossed the knife away from her and onto the floor in a panic. Ignoring the pain under the scorching water from the sink, the party mare prepared herself to do something she'd never expect herself to do: Take orders from a cookbook.

* * *

"Okay, first times usually don't go well." Nick muttered to himself as he trotted through the town's streets once more. He looked up and noticed the sun beginning to settle close to the horizon- giving the sky a beautiful orange and yellow tint. Not being able to find anything he wanted for himself, he thought of buying a gift for Fluttershy instead.

Nick eventually found a vending stand just outside a house that had several rose bouquets out on display. He trotted to the red mane'd earth mare who gave him a smile as he made his way to the stand. "Hey, are you selling those roses by any chance?" She nodded.

"I sure am! Who do I make it to? The missus?" She asked as she pulled out a marker and a small white card. Nick frowned and shook his head.

"They're just for a friend." The mechanic explained, giving the mare a sly smile.

"Well then, my name is Rose Luck, and you are?"

"I'm just trying to buy some flowers, lady." She pouted.

"I haven't seen you around before in these parts, so I'm just trying to get to know a new customer." Nick hesitated as he toyed with whether or not if it was a good idea to give out his name to random ponies, but gave in.

"I'm Nick Ramos, nice to meet you Rose Luck."

"Well Nick, if you don't mind me asking, you wouldn't happen to be single, would you?" He propped an eyebrow up.

"I just want some flowers, lady." He sighed. She giggled as she blushed.

"I have something you could deflower right here, babe." Nick felt his cheek burn red as he stood there in shock. Before he could turn around and leave, he felt something hard press against his stomach, then against his inner thighs. He felt his pupils dilate as his eyes shot wide open at the realization of what his body was doing.

'_What the Hell?!'_ Quickly, he crossed his legs in embarrassment, but to no avail as it was noticed by the blushing mare across the vending table. "Oh goddamnit..."

"Don't worry, you're not the only one horny here right now." She winked.

'_This shit was less embarrassing in GYM now that I think about it_.' He thought as he attempted to defuse the situation. "I...Just give me the damn flowers already." She sighed disappointingly before taking his bits and half-assedly prepared the bouquet before tossing it to the mechanic. "Thanks...I guess…" Without a second thought, Nick galloped away from Rose Luck as she went to go gossip to her friends. '_Shouldn't have told her my fucking name!_'

* * *

The night sky above glistened with Luna's arrangement of the stars and the moon by the time Nick found himself in Ponyville's nightclub. Unlike most of the lit-up ponies on the dance floor, Nick sat in the bar as he sipped on his glass of water. '_Man, today fucking sucked_.' He thought as he brought the cold glass to his lips- the ice chilled water felt crisp as it went down his throat. He set his glass down next to the bouquet of roses on the LED-lit white counter and sighed. "Man, I don't even like clubs." He muttered to himself as he took another swig of water.

"Trixie takes it that you're not exactly popular either." NIck turned his head to see a relaxed unicorn with a starry cape wrapped around her neck sitting idly by- watching the rest of the clubbers party throughout the night. Nick said nothing, and lifted the glass to his lips, but to only be met with emptiness. "Trixie sense that your glass needs to be refilled." Nick chuckled half heartedly.

"What, is that the waitress's name?" The light blue unicorn grinned as she shook her head.

"No, you're talking to her." Nick raised an eyebrow.

"Why are you referring to yourself in...screw it, I don't care anymore." He groaned before resting his head against the counter. Trixie turned her head to the mechanic.

"You know, life here isn't exactly glamorous for ponies like you and Trixie."

"Just because you're talking funny, doesn't mean you're making any sense."

"Look, Nick, Trixie sees the pain in you, and perhaps you could fill Trixie's glass if she fills yours." Nick lifted his head from the table and looked at the mare suspiciously.

"How do you know my name?" She shrugged.

"Unlike most of the degenerates in this town, Trixie knows what a name tag is." Nick looked down to see that he still indeed had his name tag on.

"I don't think you'd be able to help me to be honest." Nick admitted. Trixie shook her head.

"Clearly you haven't seen Trixie's power!" The mechanic watched as the unicorn's horn emitted a purple aura that locked on to his glass. NIck watched in awe as the glass began to magically fill up with water.

"That's...That's amazing!" Trixie smiled.

"Of course, Trixie's the greatest unicorn in all of Equestria!" Nick's eyes lit up with hope as an idea came into his head.

"Could your magic take me back home?!" Even the Great and Powerful Trixie was taken back by the mechanic's odd question.

"Uh...Trixie's sure she could if she knew the spell to do such an amazing feat...if such a spell even existed." Nick felt his hope die out as quickly as it came- to which Trixie noticed. Without hesitation, she swung in and held the mechanic in her arms, to which Nick objected at first. Slowly however, he soon eased into the embrace and relaxed in her arms. "Feel better?" Trixie asked, to which Nick silently nodded as they broke from their embrace.

"I just want to go home…"

"But you're far from home, aren't you?" Trixie added. "You're so far from home, that you no longer believe that you can even get back, or if home even exists anymore, isn't that right?" Nick sat on the stool silently. "You know Nick, home is where the heart is, that's what Trixie has heard anyway." Nick lifted his head to see her horn glow once more. . In an instant, the club seemed to fade away as he looked ahead of him to see a blond unicorn take the place of the magician looking at him through black mascara. The clothes worn by the unicorn along with the dyed hair instantly brought a smile back on to the mechanic face- to which it quickly faded.

"This isn't real...is it?" The illusion shook her head and spoke in Annie's voice.

"No Nick, it's not. This is what your heart desires."

"Then why am I seeing her as a unicorn?" The illusory Annie shrugged.

"You shouldn't be asking Trixie that Nick, that's something that only you can answer." Nick rested his head onto his fore hooves before hesitantly shaking his head.

"I've...I've seen enough."

"Very well, Nick." In a quick fading transition, Nick watched as the world around him dissolved back into the unwelcoming reality inside the club. "There's nothing wrong with being homesick, but that shouldn't prevent you from making this world your new home." She leaned in and patted him on the back. "I'll see you around Nick, thank you for filling my glass as well." Nick watched her as she made her way through the crowd and out the exit. Before he could dwell too much on her words, Nick reached past his blowtorch to located the coin purse he had tied to his top duct tape holster to leave a tip, but found nothing. He turned his head to see that the coin purse was indeed missing from his flank.

"Aaannnddd she just fucking robbed me... Great... And she took the roses too…" He spun around in his stool a couple times before hopping off to leave. Before he could reach the exit, he bumped into the same vendor who had given him something to think about earlier. "Jesus Christ, I really don't have time for this." He urged before attempting to go around her, but to no avail. He gritted his teeth in frustration. "What do you want now?"

"I just wanted to apologized for making you feel uncomfortable back there. It was...unprofessional of me to say those things to the customer." Rose Luck sighed. "I just got out of a bad relationship...I'll tell you what, how about next time you come by, I'll give you my best bouquet of roses, absolutely free! What do you say, Nick?" She stuck out her hoof nervously to the mechanic with an equally nervous smile. "Can we be friends?" He stared at the hoof for what seemed like forever for Rose Luck before he graciously shook her hoof.

"Apology accepted...Look, I have to go home now, so goodnight Rose." She smiled and nodded.

"Of course! Have a wonderful rest of the evening, Nick!" He quickly waved back at the smiling florist before pushing his way through the crowd of dancing ponies.

* * *

The streets of Ponyville were dark and only a few lights from various establishments kept the streets illuminated as the mechanic trotted back home. However, when he passed by the Sugarcube Corner, he heard the front door push open slowly- creaking as it did so. He turned his head around to see Pinkie Pie holding a batch of cupcakes- her hair still deflated as she stood on her hinds legs. Nick watched she stood there with a weak smile and bandaged left arm. They both stood in their places for what seemed like an eternity before Nick trotted over to the mare's offering and frowned. "I'm sorry for-"

"Nick, I should be the one apologizing right now." She interrupted as she swallowed back the urge to tear up. "I had no right acting the way I did, I could have hurt you...or worse."

"But I'm the one who pushed you down." She chuckled softly.

"I'd much prefer me getting hurt rather than somepony else...I hope you can accept this as an apology, I made them right this time!" Her weak smiled extended slightly as leaned in closer to the mechanic to give him the large tray. He reached out and accepted the apology tray and smiled. Each cupcake was topped with pink frosting along with various bright colors of sprinkles. "I…" She muttered- lowering her head as she did so. "...I've been having these dreams… nightmares, and well, I've just been on edge lately, you know?" She paused before shaking her head quickly. "I know that's not an excuse for the way I acted earlier, but… I just wanted to make sure you were happy. Because…" She paused once more as before softly gulping down on air, "... Because we all don't know how long we have left, you know?"

"Pinkie-"

"-Anyday could be our last Nick, it's import to seize the day while we can!" She exhausted with her arms in the before quickly lowering her injured one back down. "What am I saying Nick, is to tell you that here in Ponyville, it's important to make sure you're happy, but it's more important to make sure those around you are hap-" She was cut off by a series of twitching. Before the mechanic could react, the twitching stopped.

"What...Is everything okay?" Nick concerningly asked as he moved closer to the pink mare. She said nothing for a few minutes, but then hesitantly, she just smiled.

"Oh, it's...it's nothing. Just, you know, sugar and all that." She explained. "Well, I'll stop bothering you now so you can go home." Nick shrugged and shook his head.

"Don't be like that, you're actually pretty cool to hang with. But yeah, it is getting late." Nick responded. "Well, I'll talk to you tomorrow or something." Pinkie nodded as she watched him hoister the tray on his back and begin to follow the dirt path back to Fluttershy's cottage.

"Nick," the mechanic turned around to a slightly frowning pink mare, "take care of Fluttershy, okay?"

"Got it!" He called out as he continued on his way back to the cottage.

"And for the love of Celestia, please don't back home…" She choked out in a whisper as she watched dreadfully as the mechanic left into the night.


End file.
